A long story
by Jouchan1706
Summary: Little Suzume and Ayame are in love with a red haired stranger in Kaorus training hall. Kaoru and him are both confused. Really, what was a man with a sword doing in her house in year 2017? And how did he get in there? Another adventure for Kaoru and Kenshin begins in our time. Story is modern day AU, time travelling.
1. Who are you?

**Yeah everyone... here I am with a new story of mine.**

 **I really should finish the other two first, I know, I know...but I couldn't resist writing this one when I got the idea. I am really excited to know if you like it as much as me.**

 **Let me take you to a place in our time with all our favorited characters.**

 **So please remember for the story as a little disclaimer before we start: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin ;)**

 _Gensai turned slowly, looking over to his son._

„ _You know you really missed some interesting things while you were in Europe, do you?", he asked him, his voice hoarse. He had not talked very much in the last few days. He lay in a bed in his own clinic, trying to ignore the beeping of the machines around him, the little tube with oxygen in his nose, the little needle with the infusion in his arm. That was the curse of beeing a doctor. You knew the end when it came.  
His son slowly walked over to his side, sitting down on the matress next to him: „I did?", Gensai nearly had forgotten how his voice sounded. Suddenly feeling a little trace of sadness Gensai nodded weakly. „Yes... you did. Your daughters and me had so much fun together. And there was our neighbour with that dojo. Her name was Kamiya Kaoru."_  
„ _A woman, father?", he felt the chuckle of his son more than he heard it._  
„ _Oh no no.", Gensai grinned little, „She was only seventeen when I knew her. Your girls stayed over at her place often when I had the late night shift at the clinic. They loved each other...", he had to smile when he remembered._  
„ _Why are you telling me this, now?", Gensai searched for a while for the right words to answer that question, but the truth was... he did not know why he wanted to tell him now. Maybe because he was the only one left to know that part of history. Maybe because he wanted to tell his only son what he had lived to see. Maybe because he thought it really was a good story, a great adventure and nearly unbelievable. Maybe because he thought his son would give him over into the funny farm when he told it. Maybe because he only wanted to talk... there were a lot of reasons._  
„ _Ah, the reason...", he said instead, smiling at his thoughts, „The true reason doesn't matter." He chuckled: „Do you have some time? Your dad wants to share his last moments with you."  
He felt the hand of his son on his own, startled when he felt how hot it was against his own icy one. He had to hurry to tell everything he wanted to. It really was a long story... He pushed the words aside. The gods would allow him to fulfill it. He looked up into the eyes of the man next to him when he felt the squeeze he gave his hand, suddenly remembering how old he really was, when he saw the crinkles in the face of him. How much time had passed..._  
„ _I have some time now dad. The other things can wait for now. Suzume and Ayame are on vacation until tomorrow evening. They want to see you one more time, too."  
Gensai nodded: „Of course... they are part in that story I want to tell you, too, you know?"  
He coughed a little bit and waved his hand: „Go, get us a bottle of water."  
His son left and Gensai tried to sit up a bit more in his bed._  
„ _Gensai-sensei!", one of the young nurses entered the room. „Don't overwork yourself! Lay down again!"_  
„ _Yes, yes...", he waved her words aside, „this one just wants to sit up a bit more. My son is here and I want to tell him a story of my earlier years." He smiled inwardly when he recognized the speech pattern he had used._ His _speechpattern._  
„ _Your son, Dr. Gensai?", the young woman asked and Gensai looked at her face for a few moments to sink down to the bottom of her blue eyes. They weren't of the bright sapphire colour Kaoru's eyes had been, but blue eyes really were rare for japanese people._  
„ _Yes my son. He came from Germany to see his old man for one last time."  
Gensai smiled because of her sad face. „Don't worry. Please just help me to sit up a bit."  
The nurse reached for his upper arms and pulled him up, before she layed him back down onto his pillow: „Better now?", she smiled._  
„ _Be careful, father.", he heard the deep voice of his son again._  
„ _Ah there is no need anymore to be careful for me.", he chuckled lightly at the shocked faces of the two infront of him. „You two worry too much.", to his sun he added: „Miss Kana only helped me up a bit."_  
„ _Of course. Thank you, Miss.", his son nodded lightly to the young woman. „You could have waited for my help. My father is a tall man."_  
„ _But he is only skin and bones.", Gensai chuckled again. He enjoyed his last moments._  
„ _Don't say such things, sensei.", Kana began, a blush at her face, „I'll be back later to give you your medicine. You know... only push the button on your side and someone will come for you."_  
„ _Yes. I know that very well...", he wasn't angry with his nurse. He knew how difficult it was for her to do her job with him as patient. Her blush deepened and she began to walk out of the room, but she turned again when she reached the doorway: „Thank you for your concern."  
She had adressed his son with those words and Gensai was proud like a young fahter when he heard the polite answer of his son. When the door was closed he laughed quietly: „Maybe you should go and drink a coffee with her some time. I am sure she wouldn't mind going out with you."  
_„ _Father! Be serious for once.", his son pouted._  
„ _You want to take my last chance to make fun of my own blood?"_  
„ _Be quiet now and drink your water. I went through that whole clinic to get some for you." For a moment there was silence while he nipped at the glass. His son took it out of his hands to put it down on the little desk beside his bed and said finally: „You're ready to tell me your story now?"_  
„ _I am.", Gensai said and smiled again, before he immerged into the past completely to live through the greatest adventure of his life again..._

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxo

„Outch!", Kaoru winced quietly and threw one of her angry looks at her kitchen knife. She had cut into her finger...again. She cursed under her breath when blood appeared at the little wound and stepped back from the counter and over to the sink to clean it under some cold water. She sighed when she looked at her hand. It was the third time this week she had been cutting herself. Maybe she should order a pizza like she usually did. She was sure the two little girls would like them more than her cooking anyway. She sighed again. Really what seventeen year old girl couldn't cook? The answer to her question was simple. You, Kamiya. She made a face. She wouldn't have even bothered to try if it were not for the two girls of her neighbour staying over tonight.  
„Kaoru! Kaoru!", she heard them screaming and yelling for her again and remembered the reason why exactly she had cut herself in the first place.  
„I'm in the kitchen!", she called out, before she decided to search for the girls instead. With a last evil glance over to her potatoes on the work disc, she put her finger into her mouth and left the kitchen, throwing the door shut with a little bit more force like actually needed.  
She saw the two little girls directly. They were running down the hallway, Suzume a little bit quicker than Ayame, taking bigger steps with her slightly longer legs. Little patent leather shoes were clackering on the floor in a fast rhythm, their hair waving behind them in long black waves. The two little girls where clothed almost identical in their white tights and their short blue dresses, the only things that didn't match where their hair ribbons.  
„Kaoru!", Ayame called out again, desperately trying to get the attention before her sister could reach Kaoru. „There is a...", she nearly collapsed from her fast run through the house, „A stranger!"  
„A stranger?", Kaoru was baffled.  
„Yes. A stranger. With red hair. He looks sooooo funny!", this time it was Suzume who spoke, gasping for air, too. Kaoru threw them a look: „Seriously girls... Where have you been again?"  
She bent down to her knees, ruffling their hair: „Don't tell your grandpa I let you sneak out of the house again... he would not allow you to stay over again!", she raised her finger to underline her words, but Suzume only made a face: „Kaoru. Seriously, we were in the house the whole time!", she raised her finger just like Kaoru and she had to surpress her chuckle at the five year old girls imitation of her.  
„Yeah yeah little Suzume, I am sure."  
„But Kaoru... there really is a stranger!", now it was Ayame who insisted.  
„Did you to watch TV again?", Kaoru asked now, laughing.  
„No!", both of them called out at the same time.  
„He says his name is Kenshin!"  
Now Kaoru was surprised: „He talks?", she asked a little bit featherbrained.  
„Of course Kaoru.", Suzume rolled her eyes, „Of course he talks. He has a mouth."  
„So now...where is that stranger with that funny red hair?"  
„Just down in your training hall!", Ayame was excited again, now that Kaoru really showed some interest. She hopped up and down, pulling at Kaorus hand: „Come, Kaoru! He has not just funny hair. His clothes are funny, too! And he has a loooong stick with him! But he is so nice! You will like him!"  
Kaoru finally let them drag her down the corridor, deep in thought. A stranger in her training hall? Did she forgot to close the door? No... she was sure she had even locked it earlier to prevent the two little girls from playing outside again, while she cooked dinner. She knew the two girls had much fantasy and were sneaking out and escaping way to often. But it was one thing to escape their grandfather and it was another to escape her. After all the doctor payed her for babysitting them. And that was money she needed.

Since her fathers death most of the pupils had left the dojo. She had been fifteen that year, back in highschool, not really able to run the dojo on her own and graduate at the same time. And she wasn't a real master of the Kamiya-Kasshin-School. She only was assistant master. There were a lot of reasons parents had come to her to cancel the lessons of their children. But the worst had been when one of them had called the police because she was alone in the house. A fifteen year old teenager, trying to survive in the capital Tokio. They wanted her to go to her relatives to China. That was the time the old doctor from the opposite side of the street had moved in and learned about the whole fiasco with Kaorus aunt and uncle in China, her fathers death, the rundown dojo and Kaorus bad situation in school. He had put Kaoru under his care. But he had allowed her to live in the house of her family alone, he had allowed her to continue with her lessons and had supported her at school. She loved him for all he had done for her and she loved those two little girls that pulled now so desperately on both of her arms to make her move faster.

She walked past the living room, tossing the TV a glance through the open door, realizing it really was off, the remote control laying on the shelf above it, definitely out of reach for the two young girls. She frowned. So the TV wasn't at fault for the existence of that stranger. Now they walked down the old stairs to the ground floor where the training hall was. Kaoru cast the closed door a look. „Wait a moment you two.", she pulled her hands out of their grasp, reaching for the handle of the big and heavy wooden front door and tried to open it. Locked. Now she felt her heart beating in her chest a little bit faster.  
„Suzume, Ayame?", she asked quietly, „you really saw a stranger?"  
The two girls nodded so powerful their ponytails wipped up and down with the motion.  
„Mmmh... and in there?", she pointed with her finger towards the training hall. The girls nodded again. „We're not lying, Kaoru.", Suzume sounded teary now.  
„Oh, hush, you two...", Kaoru could not stand the sad face, „I believe you. Just wait a moment for me here, okay?" She tiptoed to the little chamber under the stairs, hoping and pleading she had left one of her training swords in there. The door jarred when she opened it. Kaoru rolled her eyes to herself, but found in the dark room what she was searching for. One of her heavy wooden bokken.  
She turned back again, breathing in and out nervously. A robber! A robber in her dojo! In her fathers dojo!  
„So, you two. Stand back...", she murmured and looked over to the place where the two girls... had been standing only seconds before.  
„Those two...", she groaled under her breath, now desperate to lose not any more time than she already had while searching for her sword. There was no reason to be quiet anymore and she pushed open the shoji with a loud bang and rumbled into the training hall, sword high in defense, looking around for a threat.

And really. There stood someone in the middle of the old hall, with fiery red bangs and a ponytail. The red headed stranger. Indeed he looked funny. His clothes were nothing like Kaoru had ever seen before, maybe some time when she had to visit some of that silly museums with her class or earlier maybe with her father. They were looking a little bit like some of her training clothes, yeah, those were gi and hakama he was wearing, but the material looked rough and somehow so worn, Kaoru would have put it into the trash long ago. And that gi was of a ridiculous pink color that looked horrible with that red hair. The intruder was ruffling the hair of the girls just like she had done only minutes before and Kaoru swallowed. Kami, was that a sword at his waist?! The long stick the girls had described was nothing other than a very real sheath with a very real sword in it! Her heart stopped.  
„Ayame, Suzume.", she tried to keep her voice calm, „come over here. NOW."  
The three of them looked up now, and Kaorus gaze was plastered on the face of the man. He looked handsome, a little bit feminine maybe, despite the huge cross shaped scar on his cheek.  
„Oro.", he said and Kaoru jumped.  
„Ayame. Suzume. Now.", she commanded again and she saw clearly how that man pushed them towards her. What the hell was going on here?  
She waited patiently for the two girls to walk over to her, checking them for injuries and wounds from head to toe, but found nothing. They just looked a little bit dissapointed. She pushed them behind her back and took a step towards the stranger.  
„What are you doing in here?", she asked a little bit louder than necessary to cover her fear. Her heart was pounding heavily in her chest and she was sure it would jump out of her ribcage every second. She took another step towards him, not lowering her weapon, waiting for his answer. To her surprise his only reaction was to scratch his head.  
„Uh...this one doesn't know where he is exactly...", he stammered and grinned. Was he blushing?! Kaoru became angry now: „Don't give me that crap!"  
„This one isn't sure what you are talking about... but this one was back at home just a few minutes ago and then he became so … dizzy... and then he woke up here in your dojo to look at those two little girls...". Was he looking at her legs?! What was it with his eyes anyway... were they violet? But no, no, he wasn't looking at her legs, he was looking at little Ayame and Suzume.  
„Don't you dare to look at them!", she hissed and took another step forward. „How did you get in here? And who the hell are you?!"  
„He's Kenshin, Kaoru!", one of the girls squeaked in the background.  
„Be silent now you two!", she watched closely when the stranger bowed. A bow wasn't something unusual in Japan. A nod with your head, to welcome someone, to introduce yourself, to bid farewell, to thank someone. But this bow wasn't just a mere nod. He bowed at his _waist_.  
„This one's name is Himura Kenshin, Miss.", he answered her question now and Kaoru felt how his gaze locked with hers when he looked up again. Suddenly she wished he would look again at the girls.  
„Mr. Himura, I will call the police!"  
„Ah, Miss, there is no need to call the police. This one will just go outside and leave, so no harm is done."  
„No harm done?!", Kaoru yelled and watched how he took a few steps into her direction.  
„There is nothing here to steal.", she said quietly, „but I can not allow you to leave so easily. After all you broke in here."  
„Oro, oro, oro", he made again that silly remark of his and continued with his point, „Miss, really. This one doesn't know what he is doing here. But this one is everything but not a thief! This one is just a rurouni wandering around to atone for his sins."  
That was the wrong thing to say: „What sins?" , Kaoru asked dumbfounded.  
„This one would rather not discuss that matter.", he answered mysteriously and smiled lightly.  
„You are crazy. You really are crazy."  
„Aa. This one is not crazy. At least he wasn't the last time Megumi-dono checked.", a low chuckle accompanied his words.  
„That's enough. He is crazy.", Kaoru murmured to herself and jumped forward. It was now or never. She cursed because of the tight jeans she wore and her step towards him became much smaller than she wanted to. She would not even be able to hit him like that. But everything that man does was stumbling away and Kaoru followed him quickly, covering him into strikes. He dodged them barely, moving back further and further and Karou struck out one final time and he jumped backwards. There was a loud rattle when he crashed into the racket with Kaorus bokken and shinai. More than twenty of the heavy training weapons fell down onto his head and for a moment he lay motionless burried under them.

„Oro...", she heard his quiet voice coming out of the mountain and suddenly the two girls where back at her side again: „Kenshin, Kenshin!", they screamed.  
„Kaoru, you hurt Kenshin!", Suzume yelled at her and Kaoru bent downwards a bit, pushing away all her training swords with her bokken to see his face under them. There was already a huge bump on his forehead.  
„Um. Mr. Himura?", she asked nervously.  
„Everything is allright, Miss.", the whole mountain moved aside with a lout clatter, when he sat up. Kaoru could tell he was still dizzy from the swirls in his eyes. He rubbed the bump on his head with his right, his left hand was up in defense: „This one is just a wanderer, not a thief. And this one really doesn't know how he got in here. This one is sorry to cause such an uproar."  
„Kenshin... you allright?", the two girls jumped onto his lap and scolded Kaoru: „Kaoo... don't hurt Kenshin anymore!" Ayame reached up to pull at his red bangs and Kaoru couldn't surpress her chuckle when he winced slightly in pain. He looked up to her and fell in. She was puzzled. There was a stranger in her house, the door closed, and he was playing and cuddling with her two babysitter kids. She had attacked him, she had won the fight with him easily, because he had not even faught back and now he sat there in the middle of a mess out of swords and laughed. She felt pity. Maybe he really was nuts.  
„Kaoru?", Suzume asked her. Her eyes were huge and pleading and Kaoru could already tell she would not like the request the girl had.  
„What's for dinner?", now Kaoru was speechless. What did she want with dinner now?  
„Pizza.", she answered, not knowing what to say. The wise brown eyes of the girl travelled to the smeared and dry blood on her pinky finger and she grinned: „You have cut yourself again?"  
The remark of Suzume got a laugh out of her little sister and the small man, who looked up into her face with remorse.  
„Can Kennii stay for dinner?", there was the question Kaoru had feared. She had known it would be something she would not like. „Pleaaaaaase.", of course Ayame fell in.  
„Na, na, girls, this one does not want to cause any trouble.", Himura said then and Kaoru looked down into his face, searching for a hint of danger. There was none.  
„Your sword.", she said then quietly before answering the question. He only looked into her eyes, puzzled, „Is it a real sword?", she asked then. Something warm appeared in his eyes when he finally understood and he carefully pushed the two girls of his lap and stood up.  
„It is out of steal. But you can't kill with that sword." Can't kill? What was he talking about? Silly, Kaoru, swords were meant to kill, she reminded herself.  
„I don't understand.", she answered, licking her lips nervously. She stepped back when he reached out for the hilt to draw.  
„It is reversed.", his voice was calm and steady. She took a closer look. He was right. It was backwards!  
„Kaooo, can he stay for dinner now?"  
„No, no, this one will go now. He has stayed long enough.", Himura said and Karous mind raced. Maybe he really was nuts. Maybe he would be in danger outside alone... he really seemed...confused. Her look fell onto the sign of the school. To protect... she sighed. Her style meant to protect.  
„Stay.", she decided, „it won't be much trouble to order a pizza for you, too. But of course you have to pay it back!"

She had ordered the pizza for them and they had went upstairs to prepare the dinner table. She recognized how Kenshin examined everything, his eyes wide, the confusion growing on his face with every new room he entered, with everything he saw. She asked herself where he was coming from again... really, who eyed a microwave like it would attack in the next second? Was it possible he really did not know all of those things? Microwaves, telephones and mobilephones, the TV... but maybe he really had escaped from the funny farm. Maybe the people in such a house are not seeing anything like that..., she thought.  
„Hey, Kenshin? What do you want to drink?", she had started calling him by his first name, since he was here in her house, eating dinner with her and he had not complained.  
„Some tea or a glass of water will be fine, Kaoru-dono.", just like she called him by his first name now, he had begun calling her Kaoru-dono. And she too, hadn't commented on that. But seriously what the hell was with his speech pattern?  
„Really? I have coke oder fanta, too?", she asked.  
„No, no... this one does not want to cause you trouble."  
Trouble because opening a bottle of coke? She sighed.  
„Okay, Kenshin.", she answered simply. He had spoken in the third person again. She swallowed.  
„Kaoooo, we want a glass of coke!", the two little girls had entered the kitchen now, hopping up and down again, their eyes glowing with excitement.  
„No, Suzume.", Kaoru scolded, „it is already enough you ate pizza here again. Grandfather will never allow you two to come over again, if you are telling him that."  
The two girls pouted, but Kaoru tried her best not to give in: „No, you two. You won't sleep all night with the whole caffeine in the coke."  
„Then we can play all night!", the girls squealed in delight and Kaoru listened closely to Kenshins low chuckle.  
„Ayame-chan, Suzume-chan. If Kaoru-dono allows this one will play with you after dinner before you go to bed." The girls nodded, face suddenly serious and Kaoru sighed. It would be pretty late then, but she figured the girls wouldn't be sleeping anyway. „Sure.", she answered and turned to the cupboard to get out the dishes. She pressed them into Kenshins hands, when she had gathered everything: „The delivery boy will be here every minute."  
She watched how Kenshin stared blankly onto the dishes in his hands. Come on he had to know plates and glasses? Maybe he knows the plates and glasses, a voice whispered in her head, but not the knifes... Maybe in the funnyfarm they did not get the cutlery with their food, because they could hurt themselfes with it.  
„Umm... Kenshin, shall I bring it in?", she asked him slowly, watching how his head shot up and he looked into her face, those violet eyes wide and confused. She reached out for them, but Kenshin seemed to get his act together and shook his head: „No no... the dining table is just in the next room, isn't it?", he asked and smiled again, before he turned and walked away.  
She was left alone for the first time now in the kitchen and sat down at the little table.

This man really was nuts, he was crazy, he was buggy, mad, a crackpot! And he was in her house. Absently her fingers played with the newspaper infront of her and she tried to figure out what to do next. She had to call the police after dinner. It hurt her, because that man seemed to be nice and not dangerous at all, but maybe his mood could change in an instant and he decided to kill someone with that sword at his side. But the blade was reversed. He wasn't a murderer. But why did he carry that sword? What use had a sword like that? She asked herself those questions before she stopped and asked herself the really important one. Where did he get that thing from?  
„Kaoru-dono?", she heard his soft voice from the dining room.  
„Yeah, Kenshin, coming!", her voice was trembling now and she stood up to walk to the next room.  
Her gaze fell onto the newspaper. The two girls had played with it earlier and now it lay there opened and not neatly folded like it always did. She had not payed much attention to it this morning, but now the headline of one of the last pages caught her eye. It was overhead, but the words were in bold and big enough for her to read.  
 **Lunatic in Tokio**  
She turned the page to read the article and her eyes went wider and wider with every word.

 _Tokio. Yesterday evening a lot of extraordinary calls reached the police station in Tokio. The passerbys told of a man with a sword, clothed in old fashioned gi and hakama. „He had a long ponytail, too. He just looked like a samurai or something like that.", one of the men remembered in an interview with us. „Yeah his hair was black and long, up in a high ponytail, and he had scars everywhere.", said another woman.  
The police caught the man in the middle of the city, he was confused and crazy, telling everyone he had to find and kill a man. He tried to fight the police and injured two of them, before he was shot into the leg. Today the police will figure out if he escaped from one of the mental homes in the surroundings or maybe even from a prison. They warned that this man indeed was dangerous and the sword a real one. If anybody knows this man and can help please call the police._

Kaoru skipped the part with the phone number and stared blankly at the words. A second one? Yesterday in the city, looking like a samurai in old fashioned gi and hakama...she repeated the words in her mind. Just like Kenshin Himura in the next room. But this man seemed to be dangerous, after all he had attacked the police. She would have to explain a lot to the police. She reached out for her mobilephone, turning it up and down in her hands, watching it as if it could tell what was the right thing to do now. She bit her lip, deep in thought.  
„Kaoru-dono?", his voice again, „do you have some candles or a lantern? It is pretty dark now, that it is."  
What was he thinking? Setting up a candlelight dinner? He peeked around the doorway into the room and she stared at him. At his clothes, at his hair, at his sword, at his scar and in his violet eyes. Eyes which were clear, maybe a little bit sad, but showing nothing ill willed or crazy. Eyes which were warm and wide open in confusion.  
„Is everything allright, Kaoru-dono?", he asked and she nodded her head fiercely.  
„Of course Kenshin. Excuse me please. What's the problem?" she tried to collect herself quickly.  
„Um... it's getting dark now and this one thought, some candles might do good."  
„Mh... normal light will do for now, don't you think?", she covered her shaky voice with a laugh. He fell in after a short time, his laughter just like hers a little bit too high and a little bit too loud to be genuine.

She remembered how her father had stood in that doorway, his tall figure filling it out completely, laughing and joking with her and when her gaze fell now on Kenshins tiny figure he only looked lost. She put the phone onto the desk behind her. Later. She would call the police later.


	2. Tangled hair

**Hello everyone, here is the second chapter of A long story of you. Thank you all for your favs and follows :)**

 **skenshingumi: Good thing, you like it. I love all those timetravel fics. Must be fantastic...  
summer314: Yeah it was fun to write that prelude!  
Smin2: I definitly plan on continuing them all! I have some difficulties with the other two right now, but I am positive about finishing them all one day...**

 **I do not own Rurouni Kenshin ;)**

 _She remembered how her father had stood in that doorway, his tall figure filling it out completely, laughing and joking with her and when her gaze fell now on Kenshins tiny figure he only looked lost. She put the phone on the desk behind her. Later. She would call the police later._

The sight that greeted her, when she came back from cleaning the kitchen, let her freeze for a few heartbeats in the doorway. The three of them were lying on the green carpet infront of the TV, everything around them a mess. It seemed like little Suzume and Ayame had decided to treat Kenshin like one of their dolls, since his long red hair was open and some strands of it braided and clipped to his head with a lot of pink hairslides. It suited good with his... pink gi. Brushes, hairties, a lot of barrettes with flowers and hearts on it lay around those three, next to something that made Kaoru shudder again. Kenshins sword. It disturbed that friendly scene, with the dark iron sheath, the hilt with the worn out material around it, that showed clearly how often this sword was used. It was the only thing that was directly in Kenshins reach.  
„Kenniiii?", Suzume-chan asked, sitting upright on Kenshins stomach, „what are we going to play now?!"  
„This one thinks, Kaoru-dono has already come to take you two to bed.", he answered in his deep and calm voice and winced, when Ayame pulled on his hair again, while cradling closer to his side, until she was lying crossways over his chest.  
„That's not fair!", she nagged in her best baby voice. Kenshin chuckled and tipped with his index finger onto the top of her nose. „She is already waiting for us three to get up, that she is."  
That moment Kaoru knew he was aware of her standing there and watching them. He had not looked up, had not turned around and she was sure, she had been quiet. Could he really sense her presence, like one of the old samurai her father had told so many stories of? She swallowed her spittle before she stepped into the room.  
„Kenshin is right, Ayame. Time to go to bed now. It's already nine o'clock."  
„Maaah, Kaoru... that's not fair! We had sooo much fun with Kenniii", now it was Suzume who looked at her with wide, brown, pleading eyes. Kaoru knew that look to well. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying not to be angry with that stranger lying on her floor. But before she could say anything he spoke to the two girls who were desperately clinging onto his gi: „Kaoru-dono is right. You will be very tired tomorrow, if you don't go to bed now, that you will."  
It was like magic, when Ayame decided to yawn in that moment. His voice was soothing now: „And you will be too tired to go out and play with Mr. Yoshida, that you will."  
Kaoru tried one moment to remember who exactly Mr. Yoshida was, before she got it. The cat. The big fat cat of those two girls.  
„Will you come with us, to say hello to Mr. Yoshida?", Suzume asked, now yawning too. It was the first time now, Kenshin looked up to her and for a moment she was lost in those violet orbs. He stood up, holding the two girls in his firm grip without the littlest effort, showing off more of his strength, than he was aware of. But his gaze never left Kaorus and it was clear that he was unsure what to do and say now.  
„I don't know if Kenshin has time tomorrow. And you two. Don't forget you promised to visit the zoo tomorrow with your grandfather."  
„Okay, then the day after tomorrow.", Suzume singsanged and jumped down from Kenshins arm. When Ayame struggled in Kenshins grip to get down and follow her big sister out of the room, he let her down gently and she ran out of the room, nearly falling over her own feet. „Change your clothes you two. And don't forget to brush your teeth!", she yelled after them and grinned to herself when he heard the nerved groan of the girls. She turned around again to look into the living room, to find Kenshin already gathering up all those things the two girls had scattered over the floor. She sighed and knelt down next to him to help.  
„You are very good with kids.", she said quietly after a moment of silence. He looked up surprised and flashed her a smile, that did not really reach his eyes. „Thank you for the compliment, Kaoru-dono. This one loves children. And yours are two very sweet little girls.", he looked down again, before he could recognize the horrified look, Kaoru was sure she had on her face with his words.  
„What...my...sweet...not...", she stuttered, pausing with her work in shock.  
„Kaoru-dono?", he asked, his voice full of concern again.  
„They are not... not mine.", she said finally, her face glowing with heat, „I am only seventeen...", she stuttered, still at a loss of words.  
„This one is sorry, that he assumed this wrong. He did not want to embarrass you, that he did not."  
Kenshins eyes were closed when he grinned at her, bowing his head lightly to apologize. Kaoru was glad the two girls entered the room again in that moment, disturbing the weird situation.  
„You are finished you two?", she asked instead, rising to her feet in a haste, glad to get out of the living room. They both nodded. „Say good night then.", she said and the two girls grinned wide and both waved to Kenshin, who waved back.  
„Good night, Ken-nii!", they squeaked in delight and turned giggling to go to bed. Kaoru followed, to make sure the two crawled under their blankets.  
„Nee-chan?", Azume finally asked, when she had already turned around to turn off the light and leave the room.  
„Yes Azume?", she looked down onto the little girl. „Will we see Kenshin again? You like him, don't you?"  
„I don't know yet, little one. Go to bed sleep now and dream nice.", she said and left the room. After closing the door she stood in the hallway for a few moments unsure what to do next. Call the police? Throw him out? She inhaled and exhaled slowly, remembering his confused face and confused stare while eating dinner. He clearly did not know how to use his fork and his knife properly and had tried to hide it from Kaoru, but the two girls had simply invited him to eat the pizza like them. With his hands.  
Kaoru had just smiled at him and put aside her cutlery, too. It really was easier and more comfortable to eat a slice of pizza that way. She had recognized his relief when he had followed her example and understood that he would have been to polite to change his way of eating if she had not done it before him.  
She sighed and decided to enter the living room again. She would just ask him, where he came from.

Kenshin winced lightly when he tried to pull out one of those pink little metal things that held his hair in place. His _braided_ hair in place. Careful he reached up to it with both hands, trying to loosen his entangled hair. He was sure it was a mess.  
He heard her giggle the same moment he felt her entering the room. She had not paused this time to get in there with him. He looked up at her from his place on the floor, his hands still in his hair, afraid of letting go. That was the moment she could not hold back her laughter anymore. He felt his heart lighten in his chest with the sound of it. This girl really was not a normal girl.  
„I am sorry.", she said, brushing some tears out of her eyes, while trying to calm down „it's just...", she began giggling again and he fell in after a few seconds, imagening him sitting there on the floor. He must look like the biggest idiot on earth. His hands fell down onto his lap, when he finally let go of his hair and he knew it was a bad sign, that it did not fell down onto his shoulders like it would have normally. He swallowed. The girl finally felt his distress and walked over to that strange cushioned thing next to him, patting the seat with her hand.  
„Sit down here Kenshin. I will help you to get those out. Maybe we can save your hair.", he could still hear the amusement in her voice, but nevertheless stood up, nervously sitting down onto that... thing. He was surprised how soft it was, when he sank into the material. He tried to sit upright properly and looked up to her. She reached out for him then, small and feminine hands with perfect fingernails. Her touch was featherlight, but hesitant in his hair and she sighed after a few seconds: „You really made a mess there you know?", she stood next to him, her face concentrated, brows furrowed, her sapphire blue eyes resting on the knots in his hair.  
„This one is sorry to cause you trouble, that he is.", he meant more with his words than just his hair and knew she understood, when he heard her humming softly.  
„And this one is still sorry, for embarrassing you earlier.", he apologized again. He was glad the young girl kept calm this time and he watched fascinated how a little smile appeared at her lips. She truly was an enigma.  
„I was not embarrassed.", she said, paused, then: „Okay, maybe I was. I am just babysitting them for my neighbour. Their grandfather. He is working the nightshift at a clinic. He is a doctor."  
She explained and he smiled now: „This one understands. They are good children."  
„Yes it is a nice family.", she said quietly, „he kind of adopted me after my fathers death."  
He wasn't sure if she really was aware, that she told him so much about her private life, but he decided to keep silent about it. He closed his eyes, somehow drown into her presence and the sweet smell of jasmine that surrounded her.  
„This one is sorry to hear that.", he said finally after a moment of silence. He felt how she shrugged her shoulders.  
For a few moments he pondered about telling her. But he shoved the thought aside, when she continued: „It was my fathers school. It was his philosophy to help others. He taught me all that I know now."  
He did not know what to answer, but he knew her words were the invitation for him to tell his story, to tell why he carried a sword with him. So he kept his silence and jumped a little bit, when he heard her cheer: „First one out!"  
He felt how her hands moved to the next strands of hair and began to work on it gently.  
„Thank you, Kaoru-dono.", he said quietly.  
„What about telling me where you are coming from, Kenshin?", he knew that it costed her quite an effort to ask that, by the tone in her voice. He struggled for the right answer. He could not tell her. She would think he was crazy. Crazy. But maybe he was. Everything around him was strange. He looked again onto that clothes of the girl, that ridiculous tight pair of trousers she wore, that had made him nearly blush the first time he had sawn her down in the trainingshall. The thing he sat on, the things in her kitchen, the light at the ceiling, the water out of bottles, the brown drink she had had with dinner. That things they had used instead of chopsticks and even the food itself! What had that been? Pizza?  
„This one is afraid he can't tell you, Kaoru-dono.", he answered finally his voice bearly above a whisper. She had pulled out two more of the little slides, while he had been lost in his thoughts. She pressed her lips together until they were a firm line in her face.  
„You escaped out of a clinic or something like that?", she asked now, losing her control for a moment, shooting a glance downwards to his face. He closed his eyelids apologetically.  
„No, this one did not escape. This one really is not sure how he got here in the first place. But you would not believe him anyway, so it is better for this one not to tell you.", he answered.  
„I am sure I can help you."  
„This one does not want to put anyone in danger. It would be better not to help this one, Kaoru-dono."  
„Danger? You're a criminal?", she asked again.  
„Oro?", he made confused. A criminal? But he knew how it must look like to her. He sighed. „Please Kaoru-dono. This one really is glad for your help. But it would be better for him and better for you to leave now."  
She nodded, and showed one of the slides to him: „That was the last one, Mr. Himura." She stepped back with her words, making space for him to get up. He understood the sign and slowly raised from his seat. He followed her out of the room, into the hallway where the light began to burn magically after a second, down the stairs until they reached the door. She turned the keys and opened the door and he looked out. He hold his breath for a moment. It was not dark like he had expected. Of course, it was dark, but everywhere on the street were big lanterns that lightened up the street. But that street was strange, too. He swallowed and turned around to Kaoru.  
„Farewell, Kaoru-dono. Thank you for the delicious meal.", he bowed deep and turned without looking into her face again, hiding his confusion. He walked down the steps from the door, that led to the street itself, when he saw to bright lights coming from the left. Were they coming nearer? Moving?  
„KENSHIN!", he heard Kaorus scream behind him, he froze in place, not knowing what to do. What was it with those lights? And what the hell was that loud and annoying noise? A signal?  
He felt himself pulled by his sleeve, stumbled backwards and fell, looking up just in time to see a huge red thing rushing by. He could not see much, but his eyes clearly captured the man sitting in it, obviously angry and yelling at him. Was that thing... a carriage? A carriage without horses?  
„Outch.", he heard the female voice beside him, that he knew to well by now.  
„Kaoru-dono!", he jumped to his feet quickly, „is everything allright with you?", he held his hand out to her to help her up, but she slapped it away angrily.  
„Kenshin, is everything allright with you?!", she yelled back, „Why the hell are you so confused?!"  
He swallowed, not answering her question. She fought herself to her feet, rubbing her elbow with her right hand. He could see she was bleeding.  
„This one is sorry, you got hurt because of him, that he is."  
„I think you owe me an explanation!", she answered and continued in her rage, „You don't even know cars! No cars, no pizza, no forks, no TV, no fridge, no microwave, not even electric light! Where the hell are you coming from!"  
„Let this one look after your wound.", he said instead of answering, reaching out for her again. She stepped back.  
„No."  
„This one can't tell you, you would think he is crazy."  
„I think you are crazy right now!", the anger glittered in her eyes.  
„It would be dangerous to tell you who this one is. It is already dangerous enough like it is now.", he said, trying to calm her. He turned around again to make his way down the street, this time careful not to cross it and looking out for any strange moving lights.  
„That other man!", he heard her yelling after him, „That man with the sword in the city."  
He stopped dead in his track, listening closely.  
„The one he wanted to kill...it is you, isn't it?", she asked and he turned around slowly.  
„What do you know?", his words were clear but low, he did not want to frighten her anymore than she already was.  
„There was that article in the newspaper.", she said slowly, „it only said that a man with long black hair and a sword caused an uproar in the city. He was captured by the police."  
„Then this one thinks you are right, Kaoru-dono.", he answered and knew his voice sounded like coming out from a grave.  
„This one will go to the police then.", he said, when she did not answer and turned around again. „Kenshin no!", she held him back again, „you... you can't...", she began, but struggled for the right words. „You can't go to the police with your sword and your clothes and... they will capture you, too."  
„Oh the police in Tokio knows, that this one is carrying a sword.", he answered but knew in the same moment his words were silly.  
„Kenshin. A sword is a weapon. It is not allowed to carry one! You need help, Kenshin."  
Her words registered slowly in his mind. He knew she was right. If this man truly was here... if Saburo was truly here... he needed help. He was lost without someone out here. He inhaled slowly and made his way back to her. He saw the tears in her eyes that were wide with confusion like his own. He did not know why exactly she trusted him, why exactly she wanted to help him so desperately. And he truly did not know why exactly he decided to trust her.  
He began slowly: „What year is it, Kaoru-dono?"  
She looked up into his eyes, searching for something in it and he held her gaze, waiting for her answer, not sure if he really wanted to hear it.  
„2017.", it was the only word she spoke, her voice hoarse from surpressed tears and yelling at him.  
„2017.", he repeated slowly. He took a deep breath to calm himself. He looked down onto her to meet her strong-willed gaze again.  
„This one... this one is from 1879."

The girl infront of him fainted.


End file.
